


Light to Guide You Home

by saltylikecrait



Series: The Time Between [14]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Gift Giving, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21528301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltylikecrait/pseuds/saltylikecrait
Summary: Separation makes the heart grow fonder.
Relationships: Finn/Rey (Star Wars)
Series: The Time Between [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1245773
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41
Collections: Finnrey Fanfic Connection





	Light to Guide You Home

**Author's Note:**

> This will be my final Finnrey Friday fic. I was going to post this after seeing _The Rise of Skywalker,_ but I guess LucasFilm and Disney want to make sure no one in the fandom wants to watch their films anymore. Anyway, after skipping out on 2/3 films in this trilogy, it's time for me to call it quits.
> 
> I hope this story resonates with finnreys.

It was an odd thing to think of as a gift, but something about the idea stopped Finn in his tracks at a scrap metal shop. Normally, Rey would be the one to do a job like this, but she had been away for so long and Rose told him it would be easy for him just to pick up the parts if she wrote a list for him to give the shopkeeper. And yes, the task was easy once he handed over the list and the credit stick, but it also meant he had to wait around quietly while the shopkeeper found the parts.

The shop itself was an impressive heap of scrap metal and wires, but as he looked around the tables, Finn found there were some interesting items for sale. He found a couple of tiny droids that didn’t have the programming of worker droids, intended to be toys for children. One of them was just a ball that rolled on its own and beeped, presumably to be chased by an energetic toddler.

Next to the toys, however, was a set of two small towers set in a metal frame. Finn presumed they were lanterns for a home by the way they looked. He held up one of the lamps to inspect it.

“Nice, eh?” The shopkeeper poked his fish-like head out from behind the door to the back of the shop. “Those were popular about twenty years ago; now it’s hard to find a matching set.”

“What are they?” Finn looked at the style, wondering if that was what the shopkeeper was talking about.

“Most folks call them friendship lanterns. They were popular with spacers for a bit, to give to their loved ones when they were away.”

The shopkeeper explained the mechanism behind the lanterns, explaining how they changed colors and why they were so special to some people. Finn’s eyes widened and his face broke into a wide grin.

“How much?” he asked.

* * *

Exhausted from her mission, despite sleeping through the last ten hours on the _Millennium Falcon,_ Rey stumbled down the ramp with her small bag of belongings slung over her shoulder. Behind her, Chewbacca and R2-D2 followed, almost as quiet as her.

She asked the quartermaster where she’s supposed to room for the night – though she’d be fine sleeping on the _Falcon,_ honestly – and he gave her a code. The Resistance left a room open for her that she could have to herself, knowing she could show back up again at any time and might need some privacy.

Really, Rey just wanted to find a soft place to plop down and sleep for days. A mattress in the middle of a corridor would be fine, though she would rather be somewhere private where she wouldn’t get interrupted. She was certain that if someone woke her up before she was ready would not end well for the other person.

The first thing she noticed when she entered the room is that it’s small and sparsely furnished, but she had been expecting this. There was a mattress just big enough for herself on a rickety old bedframe in one corner, an end table next to it, and a basin across the room so she could wash her hands and face if she needed to. Running water was still a novelty to her, even after nearly a year of being with the Resistance. There were days when she reminds herself she didn’t have to ration her protein cubes too.

Shaking her hair out once she pulled her buns out of their ties, she reached to set them down on the table next to the bed. Then she noticed the lamp sitting on it and how it didn’t look like a typical lamp the Resistance could afford. It was way too stylistic for that.

She reached her hand out to turn the light on, delighted by the blue glow it gave. It reminded her of the sky on Jakku and staring at it made her feel calm. Then, she noticed at the top of the lamp, there was a switch she could press. She wondered if it would change the light’s color.

Nothing happened when she pressed down and with a frown, she wondered what it was there for. Maybe the lamp was broken after all and the Resistance got it cheap. With a sigh, she turned herself around on the bed and plopped down against the pillow, intending to fall asleep.

A few moments later, the lamp changed to a brilliant pink.

Rey shot up from the bed, staring at the light. Was this a delayed reaction? Maybe some of its wires were old and worn. She could probably figure out how to fix that.

She pressed the switch again and immediately it turned back to blue. Puzzled by the immediate response, she tried the switch one more time to see if it turned back to pink or another color.

It took a few more moments for that to happen. Just like the first time.

“Must be the wiring,” she said to herself. She’d work on it later, when she had the time to spare.

* * *

The next day, Rey woke in the middle of the afternoon. She checked the chronometer and took a moment to count the hours she had been asleep.

Fourteen hours. She had been asleep for fourteen hours. Lunch was probably served and her stomach was growling to let her know it was time to eat. Quickly, she got out of bed and changed her clothes into something more comfortable, not bother with her hair beyond a simple brushing. General Organa and General Calrissian would probably want to hear her report, but that would be a little later and she could get herself to look nicer then.

Coincidence had her run into Poe and Rose, who were getting off their morning shifts in the hangar.

“How was the trip, Rey?” Rose asked.

She mumbled, “I’ll tell you later. Is it lunch now?”

Poe laughed. “Lunch is far more important that a stupid report about the leader of our enemy.” He patted her on the back. “We were just headed to the canteen. Finn should be there too. Wanna join us?”

“Sure,” she answered, though she gave Rose a quick glance to see if she really was welcome by both of them. Rey had been worried when Rose and Finn broke up – _called it off,_ they insisted – in case the tension between them made it impossible for both of them to be in the same room together. It had been the first few weeks, but it seemed like the pair had largely gotten over that awkwardness and were friendly with each other again.

She followed behind them when they got their lunches. Rey found an egg dish full of vegetables she knew would be safe for her to eat. As much as she loved the taste of grilled meats rubbed with spices, her stomach did not. Wasting food like that felt like a crime to her, so she opted for lighter meals until she got herself used to all this food and not being starved every day.

Finn spotted them in the eating area, waving to them from the table he was waiting at.

“Rey, you’re back!”

“Someone’s happy to see you,” Rose muttered, nudging Rey playfully with her hip.

The nudge almost caused her to lose her balance with her plate, and Rey had to get herself together before she could make any response to her friend.

Finn slid to the other side of the bench, making room for Rey to sit with him. “I knew you were back, but I didn’t want to bother you. Chewie told me you were tired.”

She nodded. “I like you Finn, but I’m not sure if you would like me if you bothered me when I was sleeping.”

He laughed. “Figured. Jedi need their beauty sleep too.” Then, his eyes widened, like he had just remembered something. “Oh, did you see the lantern in your room?”

“The light that turns colors?”

“Yeah, that one.” Finn grinned knowingly. “Do you like it?”

Taking a bite out of her egg dish, Rey hummed as the taste simmered into her tongue. “Yeah, but I think it might be broken. The colors don’t change when I want it to.”

“It’s not broken,” Finn assured her. “But I’m glad you like it. Found it at a scrap shop and thought you would.”

It touched her that he would have thought of her while she was away. Gifts were still not something she was used to receiving or giving. That Finn was the one to get her something as thoughtful as the lantern made it even more meaningful.

She noticed Rose and Poe were watching this exchange with interest.

“Thank you,” she told Finn. “But if it’s not broken… why the delay in color changes?”

If possible, his smile grew brighter. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I have the match to the set, by the way.” He said this like it was a hint.

“A match?” Rey knew that sometimes lamps were bought in sets, but he couldn’t imagine why Finn would want one of a pair. He didn’t seem like the kind of person to care that much about the décor in sparse military quarters. That would just be one more thing to carry away.

…Unless there was a reason behind it?

“You’ll figure it out,” he assured her.

The mystery behind the lantern started occupying her thoughts before she went to bed.

* * *

After a particularly trying day involving a dead hyperdrive unit on a Y-wing, Rey removed her oil-stained mechanic uniform and slumped down on her mattress in her underthings. Exhausted, she thought about taking a nap but also wanted to shower.

She turned the lantern on while she was deciding what need should be met first. On top of that, she still had not figured out why there was a delay in the color change and she hit the switch at the top of the lantern again, waiting for the blue to change to pink.

The change never happened.

“Maybe it really is broken,” she mumbled to herself. Finn wasn’t exactly a handyman. He didn’t really have any knowledge on electrical wiring beyond what to do if the power went out.

Deciding to hit the ‘fresher, Rey welcomed the feeling of warm water hit her sore muscles. Normally, she would use the sonic shower, knowing how precious water was and not to waste it, but some days, the oil and engine grease needed more thorough cleaning to get it all off. 

When she returned, hair dripping wet, the lantern remained blue.

“Gotta be broken,” she assumed as she lay down on the bed and wrapped the gray fleece blanket around her. Relaxed, the lull of sleep overtook her.

It was probably an hour later when a knock on her door woke her up. Groggily, she sat up as she tried to regain her awareness. The first thing she noticed was that the lantern had finally turned pink.

Outside her door was Finn. “Do you wanna grab dinner?” he asked. “I just got off duty.”

She nodded enthusiastically. 

He peeked into her room, looking at the pink glow from the lantern. “Oh, hey. It does work.”

“The lantern?” she asked, confused. “Yeah, but it’s a very delayed reaction…”

Finn laughed. “You still haven’t figured it out?”

Rey almost felt stupid to admit she hadn’t, but at the same time, she hadn’t had the time to sit down and just tinker with the lantern to figure out how and why it worked. She was surprised Finn would know.

Entering her room, he went over to the lantern. “When you press this switch, the lantern connects to mine,” he explained. “Mine will turn to blue when you do. And it looks like yours transitions to pink just fine.”

Suddenly, everything clicked.

“Wait, so our lanterns react to one another when we hit the switch?” she asked for clarification.

“Yeah, the shopkeeper told me they were called friendship lanterns. I guess people that go on long trips like them so they can connect with their loved ones when they’re gone. Tells them they’re thinking about them.”

Glancing back at the lantern, Rey realized that what Finn found was a way they could stay in touch even if communications had been shut down. The thought she could still somehow reach out to him even when they were both far away touched her. She liked the idea of the lantern after all.

“Like the beacon?” she recalled. “Do you still have that?”

“Somewhere,” he chuckled. “It’s been deactivated for now, but I think we could get it going again if we needed to. This lantern isn’t a tracker though.”

Right, so the lanterns wouldn’t be a solution to everything. It was obviously more like a comfort item.

“Show me how it works,” she requested.

* * *

Even with Chewbacca and R2 for company, missions could get lonely on the _Millennium Falcon._ Space travel was often a time of solitude where Rey threw herself into meditation and practice.

She missed Rose, Poe, Finn, C-3PO (though R2 missed him more), BB-8, and everyone else. They were her friends, and being away from them for so long hurt. After years of being alone on Jakku, her friends filled the broken parts of her heart and soothed the wounds that loneliness left within her. Going back to solitude reminded her of that pain.

As she thought of them, she wondered if any of them were thinking of her.

The lantern by her bedside slowly changed from a cool blue to a bright pink. Warmth spread through her, knowing she hadn’t been forgotten. There was someone out there to remind her where home was and that they would always be waiting for her.

For the first time in days, Rey smiled.


End file.
